Opinion polls show a lack of support for Australian involvement in a war not sanctioned by the UN

The World Today Archive - Tuesday, 18 March , 2003 12:15:06

Reporter: Agnes Cusack

JOHN HIGHFIELD: Well, the Prime Minister will probably take heart from the fact that calls to talkback radio are showing a slight drop in the number of people opposed to his stand on war with Iraq.

The formal public opinion polls show two-thirds of Australians though are still opposed to any war that is not backed by the United Nations but now the Rehame organisation, which monitors broadcast media, found that calls to talkback radio today showed 39 per cent were against Mr Howard's decision to go to war while 32 per cent were in favour, 29 per cent undecided.

So just about an even score all the way down in thirds.

Agnes Cusack in Melbourne.

AGNES CUSACK: John Howard's march to war provoked a strong reaction from callers to talkback radio.

TALKBACK RADIO CALLER 1: Kind of a sad day today, looming up to what they're up to, isn't it? I honestly still don't believe, I mean nothing has changed my mind in everything I've heard in the last few days.

I still don't believe that America has the right to open warfare on Iraq and I believe they're trying to defy the Security Council which should be the ultimate authority.

TALKBACK RADIO CALLER 2: The point about the legal issue, before we get caught up in too much spin about that also, I think it's worth us remembering that law is the creation of people, not the other way around and in this case, the creation of United Nations members. And it's that Security Council that is saying, no, we don't recognise that law that's being referred to, 1441 etcetera, as being enough for us at this time to go to war.

TALKBACK RADIO CALLER 3: I really do support John Howard in, in trying to do something about one of the bullies of the world. I was a child during Hitler's push through Europe and you just get to hate dictators and people who are in charge of regimes that do wicked things.

AGNES CUSACK: Peter Marr from Rehame Analysis has been monitoring calls around Australia. He says John Howard should be heartened by the findings.

PETER MARR: Well, look, it's been amazing what's occurred this morning. As you could well imagine, talkback has just gone absolutely ballistic with people. This is the only issue that people are wishing to talk about.

And what would surprise many I would think, is that the amount of negativity, or the level of negativity towards Australia's involvement with America in the war against Iraq has actually dropped.

And I think that's probably the one surprise that's come out so far with all the hundreds of calls that we've analysed this morning.

AGNES CUSACK: And dropped by very much?

PETER MARR: Look, it hasn't dropped by an enormous amount. It's dropped by something like 4 per cent. At this stage last week, 43 per cent of the callers were negative towards Australia's involvement with America against Iraq, whereas that's dropped to 39 per cent this morning.

And some other interesting sort of sidelines out of this as well is, male callers are more negative than what female callers are towards Australia's involvement, which obviously means female callers are more positive towards John Howard, and also towards Australia's involvement in the war with Iraq.

AGNES CUSACK: Rod Cameron from ANOP Research Services says his polling shows that two-thirds of Australians are against a war with Iraq that doesn't have the backing of the United Nations.

ROD CAMERON: The Australian population is vehemently opposed to this war, more so because they see it as a subservient relationship with the US. The Australian population is not basically anti-American. They're basically anti-Bush. They're not basically anti-American.

But they don't like an Australian government cosying up so closely and apparently taking instructions from the American government. And that explains part of the unpopularity of Howard's position at the moment.

TALKBACK RADIO CALLER 4: For Australia to go to war without United Nations approval is the greatest crisis facing Australian since the Vietnam War. And the government should be forced to face the will of the people. And my view is that the Senate has the power to block supply and force an election.

TALKBACK RADIO CALLER 5: Right from the very beginning, Howard has not explained to us properly why he's taken this position. Everything he's said still has not been absolutely clear. And if he reverts to this old thing that there's intelligence about this and I can't tell you, well surely they share that intelligence with other countries, and nobody else has been willing to come on board. So the intelligence can't be that great either.

AGNES CUSACK: Rod Cameron believes opposition to the war with Iraq will continue because the Prime Minister hasn't properly explained his reasons for supporting the conflict.

ROD CAMERON: He posed one fundamental question in his address the other day which was… well, he put the proposition saying, I know a lot of Australians don't agree with me, and I know a lot of Australians don't really know why we're doing this, why I'm being so strong on this. He didn't answer that fundamental question.

Australians just don't understand why Australia has gone so strongly on this issue. Australians would support the alliance. Australians would generally support America in its endeavours. They don't understand though, why Howard has gone an extra step and committed this country so strongly to a war which basically doesn't concern them.

JOHN HIGHFIELD: Rod Cameron of Australian National Opinion Polls. Agnes Cusack in Melbourne with him.